This invention relates generally to Yo yo toys and particularly to those having an additional play or amusement feature.
Yo yo toys have proven to be a long standing and well known toy product. The basic components of a Yo yo are simple and generally comprise a body usually formed of a pair of generally disk-like body halves joined by a center shaft. The body halves are spaced apart slightly to form a center space therebetween. A string has one end secured about the center shaft and the remaining end configured to be looped around the user""s fingers with a slip knot or the like. The attachment of the string end to the center shaft of the Yo yo is carried forward in either a fixed attachment or a loop formed to encircle the center shaft.
In a typical Yo yo play pattern, the outer end of the string is secured to the user""s finger and the string is wound upon the center shaft until the Yo yo body is received within the user""s hand. Thereafter, the user simply throws the Yo yo body downwardly which unwinds the string as the Yo yo body falls simultaneously spinning the body. At the full extension of the string, the spinning momentum of the Yo yo body rewinds the string and raises the Yo yo upwardly upon the string to be caught in the user""s hand. For those Yo yo""s of the type having a fixed attachment of the string end upon the center shaft this simple up and down pattern is repeated and constitutes the extent of play with some variation of use.
A substantially greater flexibility of use and amusement is provided by Yo yo""s in which the string end at the center shaft of the Yo yo is simply looped about the center shaft. This allows the spinning Yo yo body to spin within the string loop at the bottom extension of the string and greatly increase the flexibility of toy play pattern. Thus, as the user throws the Yo yo body downwardly unwinding the string and spinning the Yo yo it continues to spin at the bottom end of the string allowing various tricks to be performed. The user raises the spinning Yo yo body by imparting a sharp tug to the string which wraps and binds the lower end of the spring upon the shaft and raises the Yo yo.
Notsurprisingly, the extended popularity of Yo yo toys have prompted practitioner""s in the art to provide a great variety of such toys. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,432 issued to Field sets forth a WHIRLING TOY having a Yo yo defining a pair of body halves and a string secured to the center shaft therebetween. Each body half defines a clear outer surface and a cavity within which a toy figure is rotatably supported.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 232,956 issued to Chelman sets forth a YO YO TOY having a Yo yo body formed by a symmetrical mirror image pair of body portions and a center shaft therebetween. Each body portion supports a clear dome enclosure within which a plurality of toy items are captivated and moveable.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 382,919 issued to Calvin sets forth a YO-YO having a pair of disk-like body halves joined by a center shaft and having a string secured thereto. Each body half is transparent and receives a toy figure therein. The toy figure is viewable through the transparent body halves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,924 issued to Fabricant sets forth a YO YO TOY CARRYING AN ADDITIONAL MEMBER having a Yo yo body formed by a pair of spaced apart disk-shaped body halves and a center shaft therebetween. A string is wound about the center shaft and is tied to a finger loop at its outer end. A bracket is rotatably secured to the body halves and extends above and across the body halves. An aperture in the bracket allows the string to pass therethrough between the center shaft and the finger ring. A toy figure is supported upon the bracket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,102 issued to Caffrey set forth a SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE YO YO providing increased spinning time for performing tricks. The Yo yo string is attached to a free spinning baring surrounding the center axle. The baring is operable connected to centrifugal actuated spring loaded clutch mechanism.
Anther interesting type of toy product enjoying substantial popularity through the years is found through container/play housing toys. In such toys, the toy container also functions as a play environment for the toys removably stored within the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,335 issued to Caveza sets forth a TOY FOR MAKING SIMULATED FRENCH FRIES FROM CHEWING GUM STICKS having a pair of container halves joined by a hinge and movable between opened and closed positions. A plurality of simulated food making toy items are supported within the container for storage and attachable to the container halves when open for play.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,348 issued to Wiggs et al. sets forth an OPENING CASE TOY OR AMUSEMENT DEVICE in which a case houses an internal figure. The case is closed to hide the figure and is open to allow a spring mechanism to raise the figure to a play position.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,710,679 issued to Pels sets forth a COMBINATION FIGURE TOY AND PAINT BOX having a toy figure generally resembling a human and having a spherical torso. The spherical torso includes a pair of hemispherical portions hingedly joined to allow the toy body to be opened and reveal a paint box supported therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,375 issued to Kanauchi sets forth a SMALL DECORATION EQUIPT WITH SPRING OPERATED MOVABLE DECORATIVE ELEMENT having a pair of container portions hingedly coupled to define an interior cavity within which miniature toy figures are received. U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,278 issued Dixon et al. sets forth a DIORAMA TOY KIT while U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,831 issued to Wolff sets forth a COLLECTOR ADDITION DOLL and U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,398 issued to Richardson sets forth a CARRYING CASE FOR PEA CHARACTERS all of which generally shown toy carrying cases which open to provide a play environment.
Additional opening play sets are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,710 issued to Montgromery and entitled FOLD OPEN PLAY SET WITH SLOTTED BASE; U.S. Pat. No. 1,136,454 issued to Warren entitled FOLDING BOX; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,413 issued to Lehmann et al. entitled MULTI USE TOY.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have generally improved the art and in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore varied, interesting and amusing Yo yo type toy products.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a more amusing and entertaining Yo yo type toy. It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved Yo yo type toy which employs additional supplementary play features for obtaining increased amusement.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a Yo yo toy comprising: a pair of body halves each having a receptacle and a cover, the covers each movable between and open configuration and a closed configuration, the covers and the receptacles defining cavities in the closed configuration; a center shaft supporting the body halves to define a space therebetween; a string having one end extending into the space and being wound upon the center shaft; and at least one toy item removably secured within one of the cavities.